Bottle-washing apparatus.



G. TRUESDELL.

BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 00T. I5, 1908.

910,882. Patented Jan.26, 1909.

3 SHEET HEBT 1.

I mund: Il II lll" G. TRUESDBLL.

BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 00115, 190e.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. TRUESDELL. BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0012.15, 1908.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' UNITED sTArEs PATENT OEEIOE.

GEORGE TRUESDELL, lor WASHINGTON, DISTRICT F COLUMBIA.

BOTTLE-WASHING APPARATS.

Specication of Letters atent.

Pai-,exited ian. 26,19oe`.

Application led October 1908:. Serial No. 457,877.'

rlhe primary object of my invention is toA provide simple and efficient apparatus for thoroughly cleaning and sterilizing bottles of large size, such as demijohns of the kind commonly usedl for packing drinking water and the like. My improvements may, however, be embodied in apparatus for cleaning and sterilizing bottles of small sizes and other vessels of various kinds. v

As it is important that all parts of the bottles should be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before being filled and sealed, l provide means whereby both the inside and the outside thereof are first scoured or washed with a suitable hot solution of soda7 or the like, and then thoroughly rinsed by\ ure hot water while the bottles are invertedpso that When-the washing O eration' is completed, the bottles will be filled with warm air, in which condition they are ready after being allowed to cool to some extent to receive the drinking water or other liquid with which they are packed.

My improvements are hereinafter described and they are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a view partly in elevation and partly invertical section of an apparatus for washingbottles constructed in accordance bottle and' against its supporting frame.

Fig'. 6 is a detail viewin horizontal section througlihthe neck .of the bottle and thro'ugl'i the li vuidspraying tribe and the air inlet tube w eriarraiiged' asfind'icate'd in Fig. 3.

l" preferably 'arrange' t'o'- simultaneously scou'ror rinse a numb'er'ofbttlestat the 'same time, and I theiefore provide a tank A for a suitable scourings'olutio'n ltsuch y as a solution of soda) which may be :filled by a 'supply' pipe pump C. l preferably employ two supply pipes D connected as shown in Fig.` 2' by short lengths of pipes' D andfthese pipes 'D are connected with' the pump C, by a pi e C. From the pipes D iroject upward y two seriesof spraying tuiles E hereinafter more particularly referred to. The liquid in the tank A may be heated to the desired temperature by steam pipes A, and when I l a and which is connected by a pipe B with a Y desired the tank may be eiiiptied through a" discharge pipe a.

Beneath the 'pi es Dis a tray F which receives the waste i uid, and this tray is p'rovided with two' ischarge openings f, f', which may be closed by plugs or valves f2, f3. The opening f is arranged directly over the tank A and when the plug f"l is removed and the openin f closed, the water received by the tray wil pass into the'tank, but when the openingf is closed and the openingf is o ened, the liquid flows from the tra t rough a discharde pipe f 4 and is not reuse Each spraying tube E is connected by suitable couplings to the pipe D. The coupling E is provided with a support E2 for the basei of the bottle-su porting frame l. Between the base 'L and t e support E2, a ball-bearing E3 is arranged in order to provideyfor the easy rotation of the bottle-supporting frame.

Each bottle-supporting frame l comprisesf the base i, before referred to, sidebars, i', a top'ring i2 connecting the side bars at their upper ends and a rino' i3 connecting the lower ortions of the sic e bars. The skeleton rame thus constructed is shaped'to closely lit the bottle, the lower portions of the side bars bein inclined, as shown, in suoli maiiner as to old the lower end or mouth of Athe inverted bottle above thebase piece of the frame lin order to'perm'itthe waste liquid-"to freely discharge from the bottle'.

Each spraying tube E is much smaller in diameter than the neck of the bottle soas'to leave a clear space for the discharge of water therefrom, and each tube E extends nearly to the/bottoml of the inverted bottle, as clearly indicated in'Fig. 3. The tube e is provided With erforations e whieli are rpreierably arrange .spirally about' the tube, asindicated, vin order that the desired number of* o enings maybe used' without weakening t 'e tube, and through these perforations the cleansing liquidV is sprayed `forcibly against .the interior of thekbottle soasitoclease the saine not onlyfby the' Washing actionof'tlie' 30 neck of the bottle should there li uid, but alsovby the force of the liquid which strikes the surface of the bottle under t considerable ressure. Preferably the upper end of eac tube is tapered, `as indicated, 5 and provided with perforations e for directing the spray against the bottom and the si es contiguous to the bottom of the bottle. After the liquid is s rayed into the bottle it descends to the bottlb neck andl is discharged through the mouth thereof.

As a vacuum tends to form in the bottle, the atmospheric pressure tends to retard the discharge of the liquid. In order to prevent this I provide means for admitting air to the y bottle above its'neck and for this pur ose I employ an air inlet tube J which may e arran ed in the manner indicated in Fig. 3, or as iown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 3, the tube J, which is of quite small diameter, as shown in Fi 6, is supported on the lower end of the tu e E and extends upwardly therefrom parallel with said tube, and, as shown, it terminates close to the u per end of the tube, the upper end of the a1r inlet tube being pref- 2 5 erably turned over, as indicated at j, in order that the cleansing liquids may not enter it.

When a stationary air inlet tube, arranged as indicated in Figs. 3 and 6, is employed, it

serves to retard the rotation of li uid in the e such a tendency.

I have found that where no air inlet tube is employed and when the bottle is rotated very rapidly, the liquid which accumulates 35 in the neck of the bottle is rotated at high s eed and rises up along the sides ofthe bott e, and it is in order to prevent this accumulation of the liquid and to retard its rotation that the air inlet tube is employed. It may 40 be said, however, that when the speed of rotation is properly regulated and air is introduced in any way above the neck of the bottle, the liquid is discharged without any obi jectionable accumulation of the liquid above the bottle neck and it is not essential that any means should be provided for retarding the rotation of the liquid. In Fig. 4 I have shown how the air inlet tube J may be arranged inside the spraying tube This constructionhas some advantages. In either vcase the spraying tube and the air inlet tube may be conveniently detached from their support and replaced by others should they become unfit for use by reason of rust or other im airment. In Fig. 4e2indicates a shield or lood for the outlet of the air tube and e3 is a collar on the inlet end of this tube. devices prevent the water from interfering With the free passage of air through the tube.

On opposite sides of each bottle-supporting frame arev arranged vertical spraying pipes K, each connected with the supply pipe through the coupling E and the connections E. Each spraying tube K extends Practice has -demonstrated that these vertically by the side of the bottle-support-r ing frame and is' provided at its upper end with perforations 7c arranged radially with reference to the-axis of the bottle and which direct the liquid upon the bottom of the inverted bottle X and upon the sides of the 'bottle contiguous thereto. Each tube K is also provided with a vertical series of perforations k arranged tangentially with reference i to the bottle, which direct the liquid against the sides of the bottle and against the side bars of the bottle-supporting frame, in the manner most clearly indicated in Fig. 5.

A single spraying tube K may be employed in connection with .each bottle-supporting frame to cause the rotation of the frame and bottle and the cleaning of the outside of the bottle, but `I prefer to use two spraying tubes K in connection with each bottle-su porting frame in order to more thorough y. and quickly clean the bottle and to insurel rapid rotation thereof. Each tube `K is provided with ahand wheel K2 by means of .which it may be turned about its longitudinal axis in order to adjust the angle at which the liquid is sprayed upon the bottle and its supporting frame. In this way the spraying tube on one side of the bottle may be employed to cause its rotation, while the tube on the opposite side thereof may be so arranged as to direct the liquid radially against the bottle, orin a direction opposed to that from the other spraying tube so as to impede the rotation of the 'bottle and itsv frame. By proper adjustment one of the tubes may thus be used as a brake and the -speed of` rotation may be very quickly and nicely adjusted, it being understood that if l the bottle rotates too rapidly the discharge therefromv will be impeded, the centrifugal force tending to rotate the liquid at high speed and cause it to rise along the sides of the bottle. By means of suitable valves K, K5, either of the tubes may be thrown into andv out of operation and by means of a valve E4 both tubes K and the spraying tube E may be disconnected from the su ply pllpe. After the bottles have been t oroug ly scoured, vthe pump C may be stopped or thrown. out of operation and the valve c, closed. In order to rinse the bottles thus scoured, I employ perfectly pure hot sterile Water which is made to pass through the spraying tubes, before mentioned, and operate in the manner before explained. The rinsing water may be conveyed to a tank Il by a pipe l and may be heated by steam entering at Z and departing at Z2. The tank L is connectedby a pipe M with a pump N in turn connected by a pipe O with the horizontal supply pipe D. A valve o may be employed for connecting the pipe O with the ipe D, or for disconnecting it therefrom. uitable valves may be used in other parts of the pipes Wherever it is found necessary. 130

Before commencing to rinse the bottles, the opening f is closed by the stopper f2 While the stopper fa is removed from the opening f. The pump N being now thrown into operation and the valves being properly set, the rinsing Water-passes to the pipe or pipes D and through the spraying apparatus and operates in the same manner as that described in connection With the use of the scouring liquid. After being rinsed and thoroughly sterilized7 the bottles may be removed from their frames and anew set of bottles to be cleaned inserted in the frames. The cleaned and sterilized bottles are' maintained in their inverted positions While filled With Warm sterile air until they are cooled sufficiently to receive the liquid with which they are to be packed.

By niyginiproved spraying devices the bottles are not only thoroughly cleaned, but there is little danger oftheir breakage because the liquids are sprayed to all arts of the bottles simultaneously and there is'therefore no unequal expansion which often causes 'breakage in other forms of apparatus.

l have shown an apparatus adapted to simultaneously Wash ten bottles, but it should be understood that my invention may be embodied in an apparatus designed to Wash any desired number of bottles either simultaneously or successively. l may also use steam to aid in cleaning and sterilizing the bottles.

At C2 have indicated a steam inlet pipe provided with a suitable valve c3 and cominunicating with the pipe C', and the pipe C also contains a valve c. The ipe C2 communicates With the pi e C etWeen the valves c, and c. After t e bottles have been Washed by the'rinsing liquid, the valves o and c may be closed and the valves c3 and c opened. Steam may in this Way be admitted to the pipe D and through the spraying tube to the bottles. The temperatures of the scouring and sterilizing iiuids may be regulated as desired. Preferably the scouring liquid is first introduced into the bottle at-a moderate temperature'and this tem erature is gradually increased. The rinsing iquid is introduced at quite a high temperature and the steam may be introduced at a much greater temperature.

Some features of my invention are novel apart from other features thereof and may be embodied in a paratus differing in organi- Zation and detaill; of construction from that hereinbefore described. For instance, the bottle may be mounted to rotate in any suitable Way and cleaned on the inside by any suitable devices, While a single vertical spraying tube is usedy to act on the outside of the bottle to clean and rotate it, said outsidetube being adjustable about its' vertical axis so that it may be set to direct the spray or jets in 'any desired direction t0 cause the bottle to rotate rapidly or more slowly. I have found that where the bottle is rotated rapidly in one direction and the cleaning liquid accumulates in the neck thereof and rotates rapidly therewith so as to impede the discharge, lthis may be readily corrected by turning the tube so as to direct the spray in the opposite direction, t'. e., so as to impede the rotation of the bottle, and, if desired, causing it to rotate in the opposite direction, thus reducing its speed, stopping the rotation of the liquid With the bottle and causing it to leave the 'bottle properly. It will thus be seen thatby properly adjusting one of the outside spraying tubes the speed or direction of rotation of'tlie bottle may be controlled and in this Way the rate of discharge is also lcontrolled.

l clainizl. Bottle Washing apparatus comprising a rotatable bottle-supporting frame having vertically arranged side bars, a spraying-tube adapted to extend into the bottle, a perforated tube adapted to spray a liquid upon the outside of the bottle and upon the side bars of the frame and means for supporting the bottle-supporting frame and the spraying tubes.

2. Bottle Washing apparatus comprising a rotatable bottle supporting fraine having vertical side bars adapted to bear upon the side ofithe bottle and to act as propeller blades for the frame, a stationary erfo'rated tube adapted to entend through t e neck of an inverted bottle and up into the body ortion thereof and to s ray a cleaning uid against the sides of the ottle and against the bottom thereof, a perforated tube adapted to spray afliquid against the bottom and sides of the outside of the bottle and to cause the rotation thereof and means for supporting the bottle-supporting frame and the spraying tubes. i

3. Bottle Washing apparatus-comprising a rotatable bottle-supporting frame, a spraying tube for the interior ofthe bottle a spraying tube for the outside thereof having perforations arranged tangentially and other perforations arran ed radially with reference to the axis of the ottle, for the pui ose specified and means for supporting t e bottlesupportin ,frame and t e'spraying tubes.

4. Bott e Washing apparatus comprising a rotatable frame for supportin an inverted 6. Bottle Washing apparatus comprising a tank for containing a scouring liquid, a tray above the tank having a communicationv therewith, means for closing this communication, another outlet for the tray, means for closing it,l bottle spraying devices, means for drawing liquid from the tank and forcing it through the spraying devices7 and means for conveying a rinsing liquid to the spraying devices after the supply of the scouring liquid has been cut off.

7. Bottle washing apparatus comprisin a rotatable bottle-supporting frame, means for washing the inside of the bottle, a vertical perforated tube for directing jets of liquid against the bottle and having means for turning it about its vertical axis to vary or reverse the direction of the jets and thus.

vary the speed or rotation or change the direction thereof and means for supporting the bottle-supporting frame and said tube.

S. Bottle washing apparatus comprising a rotatable bottle-sup orting frame, a spraying tube for the inside of the bottle, means for praying the outside thereof, an air inlet tube for 'the interior of the bottle;` means for tube, for the purpose specified and means for outlet of said air inlet tube and means for orting the bottle-supporting frame and sai tubes.

rotatable bottle-supporting frame, a spraying tube for the inside of the bottle, means for spraying the outside of the bottle, an air inlet tube for the inside of the bottle, means for preventing the cleaning liquid from interfering with the passage of air through the inletend of the air inlet tube and means for su orting the bottle-supporting frame and sai tubes.

l0. Bottle washing apparatus comprising a rotatable bottle-supporting frame, a spraying tube for the inside of the bottle, means for sprayin the outside of the bottle, an air inlet tube 'or the interior of the bottle, a hood inclosing the outlet end of the air inlet tube, a collar on the inlet end of said air inlet sup orting the bottle-supporting frame and sai tubes.`

In testimony, whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GEORGE TRUESDELL.

Witnesses EFFIE L. TEULY, EDGAR P. S'rERrcK.

9. Bottle Washingapparatus comprising a 

